Bethlehem schools move ahead with cell towers

BETHLEHEM — The Bethlehem Central School District Board of Education voted Wednesday night to formally start the process to build a cell tower on school property.

The board agreed to support a company’s effort to convince the town government to allow them a cell tower on school grounds.

The first step of the process requires the tower contractor, Independent Towers, to file plans with the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals, said district spokesman Matt Leon. The board will have a say on whether the tower is allowed.

“It’s still early on in the process,” Leon added.

The school board recently scrapped the idea of putting towers on the Hamagrael and Clarksville elementary schools. Still under consideration is a plan to place a 150-foot cell tower near the maintenance building at the high school.

Michael Huber

8 Responses

This is a very dangerous move,the lives of students in many school districts in NYS will be endanged. Stop it here or it will spread! I am pro growth,but this is just plain wrong to site these on school properties.

@#1 et al…ashamed to admit that i am not as aware as i prob’ly shld be re: the effects of cell tower output…can u advise of what specific dangers opponents/yourself cite and based upon what recognized studies? when u say “the lives of students…will be endangered”, that is a serious statement and cincern. Thank u.

Well, I think I read that they will grow two extra heads. Unfortunately, current data indicates that their test scores will *still* lag behind one-headed students from developing Asian countries.

On the positive sides, the vegetables that will be served in the cafeterias will be really, really huge, feeding more students per carrots (even with treble the mouths) and thus enabling the Dept of Education to knock ketchup off the list as an acceptable vitamin source.

This is an old thread, but I wanted to thank you anyway, Bob. It’s sadly true that more and more school districts are allowing cell towers to be put on public property. Why there aren’t more people investigating the risks and protesting them is beyond me. Why is anyone allowing towers on or close to school property?

Wizard, CMD and Bill, this isn’t about radiation from cell phones. If there are risks associated with cell phones, then that is a different issue. Why? Because a person can use them at his or her own risk.

With a cell phone tower, there is no choice. Studies conflict each other, and there is no conclusive evidence that cell towers are safe.

If there is a danger from radiation, then teachers, school staff, neighbors, and students (both elementary and high school) will be directly in the path of that dangerous radiation, without their choice or consent.

Thank goodness the plans for the tower on high school land are no longer being pursued. The bad news is, everyone at BCHS could still be affected, along with everyone at Eagle Elementary, if the other proposed tower is built on Van Dyke Road.

Such a tower would not lower your school taxes, so why build it so close to two schools? Where is the sense in that? Let’s endanger everyone in the area, and lower property taxes while we’re at it…hey, sounds like a great plan to me.

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